The Power Of A Puzzle!

When was the last time you worked on a puzzle? This may seem an unlikely question,

but we can learn much about ourselves and others when working on a puzzle. I

recently sat down with my boyfriend and began putting a 1000-piece puzzle together.

As we laid out all the pieces, the task immediately appeared impossible. How will we

ever find where all the pieces fit together? There were so many similar colors, shapes,

and pieces. We began the puzzle by organizing the pieces and creating smaller

manageable groups. We worked together on the puzzle over several days, both

contributing to the puzzle with individual tasks that sometimes overlapped. So here are

my takeaways from the experience.

Like our lives, puzzles cannot be rushed, and they are journeys of self-discovery. I also

learned a lot about my boyfriend. As we sat next to one another quietly for hours at a

time, methodically studying and searching for pieces to fit, I learned he had strengths I

lacked. He could see and find pieces I could not. And so it is in life; sometimes, others

can see what we cannot.

We both began with an individual strategy, and I learned that sometimes, I had to

abandon my plan to accomplish our goal together. Sometimes, when I thought I was

helping, I hindered his process. I learned I need to embrace patience more because as

I was searching for a specific piece and feeling frustrated, the lesson for me was that I

needed to resign myself to the absolute truth and wait for the puzzle piece to reveal

itself to me. I could not force what is unseen to appear. Admittedly, I may have some

control issues. The pieces and answers we seek will reveal themselves, maybe not

when we want them to, but when the time is right. The power of the puzzle was a

constant mental regrouping and refocusing, and it was a lesson in patience,

perseverance, and the determination never to quit.

As we placed the last pieces in our puzzle, we saw three pieces missing. We searched

everywhere for the missing puzzle pieces but were unsuccessful. And I thought that it

was just like life. Some pieces of our life puzzle will never be found, and that’s ok.

Missing pieces don’t diminish the overall beauty. Upon completion, I felt the glorious

beauty of knowing I had done what I had initially thought was impossible. And I did it

with someone I love.

Puzzles, like our goals and challenges, require unwavering commitment, patience,

determination, and focus. And when we work together, great things can happen.

Through the power of a puzzle, I learned this lesson again, and so may it be for you.